Early Wednesday morning, attention turns back to one of Ohio’s most unsettling unsolved mysteries — the Circleville Letters. Beginning in the mid-1970s, anonymous, typewritten letters flooded the small town of Circleville, accusing residents of secret affairs, corruption, and hidden crimes. The letters were chillingly specific, often threatening exposure — or worse — if alleged behavior did not stop.

The case escalated from harassment to tragedy in 1977, when school bus driver Ron Gillespie was killed by a booby-trapped firearm while investigating a sign connected to the letters. Although Paul Freshour, Gillespie’s brother-in-law, was later convicted of attempted murder related to the case, he consistently maintained his innocence, and questions about the letters’ true author have never been resolved.

Even after Freshour’s conviction, the letters continued, suggesting the writer was still at large. To this day, investigators and true-crime researchers remain divided over whether the real culprit was ever identified — or whether Circleville was haunted by someone who was never caught.

Decades later, the Circleville Letters remain a haunting reminder that sometimes the most terrifying crimes don’t begin with violence — but with words.